School officials say they still are waiting for a final report on an investigation of last spring’s salmonella outbreak at Jefferson Elementary School by the state Department of Public Health. While 28 students were confirmed to have bacterial infections after the incident, at least 50 students came down with related symptoms.
State health officials already linked the outbreak to a fifth-grade science experiment involving owl pellets, and in August issued new statewide guidelines for handling owl pellets. An owl pellet is the regurgitated undigestable remains of prey an owl has eaten whole, and usually includes bone and feathers or fur.
Any projects with owl pellets have been postponed this school year, but before the district can take any further steps, it has to wait to see what the state has found and recommends, the superintendent said.
Donna Rheaume, a DPH spokeswoman, confirmed yesterday that a final report on the incident is in the works. She could not provide a date when the report will be finished.